Dr. Dave Pennington on some fresh approaches to Evangelism

Here are notes from the workshop Dr. Dave Pennington’s workshop, “Organizing the Church for the Great Commission.”

Dr. Dave Pennington, Burge Terrace Baptist Church (Indianapolis, IN)

workshop description: “to challenge pastors to rethink their strategy in reaching their communities. It seeks to provide some fresh ideas for a “bottom up” approach to evangelize effectively your community with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Dr. Pennington felt great need to return to basics: personal prayer and evangelism.

Paul wrote in Rom 9.1-3 that he had “great heaviness and sorrow in my heart” for lost loved ones.

cf. Rom 10.1—heart’s desire and prayer…that they might be saved.

Dave suggested a paradigm shift: we pastors must rekindle our passion for the lost before it will pass on to our people. Their weekly church visitation night is primarily follow-up. A church doesn’t  need huge numbers to accomplish this. Thinks it’s better not to “cold call” the visitors; make appointments instead.

“I apppreciate your visiting the church; do you mind if I stop by and visit for a few minutes; see if you have any questions.”

Since people now tend to be distrustful and private, not to mention skeptical of strangers knocking at their door—a change in approach may be helpful.

Key concepts.

1. Society as a whole has lost sense of community—people don’t know neighbors, etc.

solution: reconnect with our neighbors for the purpose of sharing the gospel.

1. God’s people have little “ownership” of their communities. Little to no responsibility to reach their neighbors.

Nothing will give a burden for reaching unsaved people than being around unsaved people.

We’ve so pulled out of culture that the average Fundamental Baptist doesn’t have much of a relationship with any lost people.

Key concepts: neighborhood canvassing of key and strategic neighborhoods (8-10 of them)—neighborhood mission fields. Literature distribution. Families adopt their neighborhoods as mission fields.

Neighborhood socializing—invite unsaved neighbors to homes for a family cookout, etc.

Because how are we going to reach people we’ve never had any contact with?

We spend a lot of effort to get lost people into the church to hear the gospel; we should do more to get saved people to go to the lost to give them the gospel!

Vision for the Christian home: a place of hospitality

Given to hospitality: Gk., Lover of strangers [filoxenia].

Other suggestions: Brown Bag Bible study (lunchtime Bible study for coworkers); Backyard Bible clubs; etc.